Welcome to another loose, fun and beer driven poetry slam at the ever friendly and welcoming Southwark Hotel. Open to all to compete and we find the judges from the audience.
First prize: $50 and half a carton of beer. Second prize: 2 Paroxysm Press books and a six pack. Third prize: 1 Paroxysm Press book and a six pack.
While it is all ages friendly to a degree, just be aware that this is a Paroxysm Press gig with the punks of poetry and adult language and concepts could break out at any time (not least at all from our MC).
Hayden‘s poetry is a lot like online dating: has tried a few things but can never settle down with the one. Inspired by life and rap music, loves a bit of word play.
A feminist ode enthusiast and Australian Poetry slam alumna, Ashlee is the epitome of an Instagram poet who likes writing love letters on white backgrounds. With a penchant for writing poetry based around vaginas and/or tequila, Ashlee was hailed by Cat Lady Weekly as the “One to watch, 2018.”
Hop Dac is a writer and editor who has worked with Kill Your Darlings, the Australian Crime Writers Association, and of course, Paroxysm Press. He’s currently writing a speculative fiction novel. He has recently had to move to Geelong, which isn’t as shit as he first thought.
Peach seeks to tell the truth and doesn’t mind lying on his way there. 2017 saw Peach release his first book of poetry, ‘When We Were Young’, and last August he featured at the Perth Poetry Festival. This is the second time Peach has lined up for a Paroxysm Fringe event.
“I like to think of my performances as a small over-priced tub of Ben’n’Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. I don’t imagine that helps but I find it funny”. Steve Smart.
Piers Diproseis an undercover FBI agent masquerading as a singer songwriter. He has been entrusted the top secret mission of supervising crash-landed mars girl Amelia Walker, and acclimatising her to the ways of the human race. A feel-scared comedy the whole family would do best to avoid. Rated M15+ for questionable themes and occasional coarse language.
For Round 2 of the Paroxysm Press Showcase Series, we give you “The Random Sequence”.
Saturday 23rd February, 2019 7:00 – 8:30pm
Broadcast Bar 66A Grote Street, Adelaide
Kathy Parker is many things; most of which will never amount to anything, but that’s never stopped her from giving her best 40 percent effort anyway. Recently she traded her Netflix addiction for a therapist and has been delighted to see how both her productivity and drinking have increased. She writes poems about her effed-up life so others will feel better about theirs and is forever in search of sleep and black market gin.
Servo-clerk, festival cash wrangler and occasional research assistant, with honors in English and History, Ben Adams also occasionally scribbles poetry and other things, including a stint as speechwriter for bleeding-heart Roman Emperor Claudius in 48AD during his wittily barbed address to Rome’s Senate urging the admittance of new Gallic immigrants by that esteemed institution. Ben remains skeptically hopeful of the empire’s ability to foster a peaceful, diverse and cosmopolitan society, despite current setbacks.6 Feb. at 2:07 pm
Tracey Korsten mostly uses poetry as a way to stave off the existential dread of on-line dating. The highlight of her portfolio career was once sitting as President on a Darts Appeal Tribunal. She is currently working on a screenplay and on getting her shit together. Neither project is looking crash hot at this juncture.
The Half Artist was born from a voluntary inability to be satisfied artistically. It is best to not approach him without an offer of an alcoholic beverage. Full strength beer is optimal.
Dick Dale has ate 10 dozen oysters in one sitting, kicked pop singer, Henry Rollins out of his gutter and bumbled his way through a few spoken word events. He has sung and been hospitalized in more than a few high energy punk rock and hardcore musical groups and curated the nastiest short film program, Trasharama since 1997. His main passion though is through the medium of short silly films. Tonight he will bring you a selection from his home made classic video nasty library. brilliant!
Colin Bramwell is a Scotish stranger with a 5 star review. He is our surprise bomb. Miss him and you’ll be crying in your jocks.
To kick off the Paroxysm Press Showcase Series, we give you….
The Highbrow Edition (+ kami)
Saturday 16th February, 2019 7:00 – 8:30pm
Broadcast Bar 66A Grote Street, Adelaide
Caroline Reid‘s bios are frequently invaded by phrases from failed poems like: If I shat champagne .. Dirty patch of carpet cock for breakfast .. and Super-size my liver, Ernest.
Now that he’s an old bloke, Ian Gibbins is grateful for: (1) still being alive; (2) quantum mechanics; (3) the various nooks and crannies in the universe where his stuff finds a home; and (4) all of this.
Heather McGinn is a queer spinster frightbat academic who wants to bang Howard Moon. She enjoys poetry, popcorn, and privacy and dreams of a world where Dianne Di Prima sells more books than E. L. James.
Kami is self taught, self funded, self centred, self abusive and self destructive. He shouts at clouds a lot and is currently suing matt groening for stealing his character.
Clapped-out sci-fi robot “Sean Williams” is due to crash back to Earth with a novel set in the present day about heavy metal, hearing loss and heartbreak. Normal service will resume shortly.
Heather Taylor Johnson‘s books have been discussed on ABC’s Book Club with Jennifer Byrne and in the New York Times Review of Books, which both amazes and surprises her since her publishers insist that no one is reading them. She currently has three manuscripts that no one wants and still doesn’t get the hint. She’s considering asking her partner and children to pretend they are many different people and give her positive reviews on Goodreads but isn’t quite sure she’s ready to rock that boat.
Saturdays, 16 and 23 February, 2 March, 2019 Broadcast Bar 66A Grote Street, Adelaide 7:00 – 8:30pm $15
Over 3 huge nights, we present 18 of the best underground authors, artists and spoken word performers. Their work comes to the stage tight, slick and hard hitting with a stubborn desire to entertain. New work, Paroxysm favourites and a few surprises, it is the best value entertainment in the Fringe. If poetry has a punk scene, you’ll find it here.
Paroxysm Press rose from the gutter of the Australian music scene in 1998. It’s been fighting tooth and nail ever since to publish the type of hard edge, honest and high impact writing we all love and live for ourselves.
Poetry and prose, ‘shotgun’ fiction, rapid-read novellas; tight, slick, hard hitting spoken word that can hold the stage and keep an audience on their toes even in front of hundreds of drunken music fans. The Paroxysm Crew carry with them a passion, a stubborn anger and a strong awareness of their need to entertain that sees them now amongst the best authors this country has to offer.
For anyone who has seen Daydream Fever live, you know that this gig is magic not to be missed. From electronically looping vocal music-scapes to hip hop to more straight down the barrel spoken word; this guy can do it all.
Free Entry Spoken word open mic $5 tinnies $7 imperial pints Drink special of the month TBA Book raffle
Join us for our ‘Somewhere between Xmas and New Years non-extravaganza’ where we do things just a little differently…
No guest performer this time around. But instead everyone who hits the mic needs to also get a piece to read / perform from someone else in the room. Either try to do justice to the original style or do it YOUR way (whatever that may be). You can prepare with a ‘partner’ in advance or just grab something from someone else on the night (but ask first – play nice children).
Free Entry Spoken word open mic (w/ ‘Cover Band’ feature) $5 tinnies $7 imperial pints Drink special to be announced Book raffle
Here’s some of the action from the ‘20 Years of Paroxysm Press‘ gig held at the Broadcast Bar, 11th August, 2018.
Brilliant spoken word from Alison Bennett, Nico and Kami and a little history behind Paroxysm from a drunken publisher, Daniel Watson. Vid made by Ian Gibbins.
Paroxysm Press simply refuses to die; we will not back down, we will not go away. Every year we get bigger, every year we expand our audience and (most importantly) our much valued, much loved cult following. Like-minded writers from around the world now gather here with us to fight for the power of words. Bigger name authors stand by our side even when the rewards are less than they can receive elsewhere because they too believe in the hard, tough, true to life material we publish. They see Paroxysm fight against a world it can never beat – but they stay anyway – because they can see the fire in our eyes.
Kathy Parker. Writer. Poet. Spoken Word. Survivor. Warrior.
Kathy’s work has been published all over the damn place and soon she’ll be able to add to her bio “performed spectacularly and flawlessly at the greatest spoken word event the world has ever seen in front of a bunch of drunken losers while being MC’d by the most charming and polite individual she’s ever met.”
Free Entry Open mic $5 gin and soda ‘drink special of the month’ $5 tinnies $7 imperial pints Book raffle
The new generation of Paroxysm Press ebooks are here. Our most recent three titles are available world wide in epub format; cheaper than the print versions! See the links below each title for where to make your purchase:
